Marijuana Plant Recruits Vets

CASTANEA TOWNSHIP — A new medical marijuana processing plant in Clinton County is hiring and the owners are recruiting veterans for the jobs.

It’s pretty uncommon for the VFW near Lock Haven to hold job fairs but the event there Thursday just seemed to fit.

Around 200 people showed up hoping to snag a position working at Terrapin Care Station, the new medical marijuana processing plant near Avis. With help from folks at the VFW, the company is holding a job fair at this post near Lock Haven.

“I love it. I was surprised the outcome was this big. Nice to see a full parking lot,” Lance Kaler said.

Kaler lives in Avis and while he’s never worked for a business like this one before, he has one quality the owners are interested in: Kaler is a veteran.

The company based out of Colorado is looking to hire about 40 people for jobs in its packaging, harvesting, and trimming department.

Owner Chris woods tells Newswatch 16 he’s hoping at least a dozen of those people will be veterans. It’s why he’s holding a job fair at the VFW.

“The veterans have been great partners to bringing this project back into Jersey Shore and Lock Haven so it’s our way of giving back to the community,” Woods said.

“What a great way of doing it, really. There’s nothing better for me than to tell a veteran, ‘you have job,'” said David Harger, owner of Vetforce

An Army veteran, Harger already works security for Terrapin Care Station and now he’s helping the company recruit vets.

“Too many veterans get left behind in a community that doesn’t have a lot of them so if we can get those guys and gals together we flourish again,” Harger said.

“This community just needs it, so Terrapin coming in is a good thing,” Kaler added.